This garage is a guy’s dream: a place to do woodwork and to house a Mercedes 230SL. But Jim Sproull didn’t just demand the ultimate dude room; he had certain criteria and he wouldn’t settle for less.

The major feature is an American Hydrotech green roof, which is mainly used for commercial building. It’s a thin-planted roof that not only reduces heat island effect, but also provides a habitat for birds, insects and delicate plants. The roof had its share of troubles due to a misunderstanding with a housesitter, which left it dry and withered in 2003. It was replanted in 2004, but has yet to achieve the level of splendor it once had.

The garage in Seattle has lots of other great, forward-thinking features, like advanced framing, cellulose insulation, FSC wood, plus this crazy infrared on demand heating system that heats people and not air. Because sewage water often winds up in Puget Sound when there’s too much runoff, Jim added semi-pervious gravel in the driveway to work with the roof to reduce it.

Jim did the finishes on the garage (he loves woodworking, remember?) using reclaimed material. His workbench is made from a bowling alley lane (can you get any more dude than that?), and he also repurposed a door, a basketball backboard, a school’s science closet and bleachers.